AS MONACO-OL: A MASSIVE WIN AGAINST MONACO! (1-3)

Lyon put in a superb performance to completely undo the Monaco machine in an extremely high-level match. The 3-1 win saw Lyon go just five points shy of the top three with a match in hand. It was a massive performance that did OL's points tally and ranking the world of good.

. HIGHLIGHTS .

4'. Ghezzal's shot is well held by Subasic.8'. Lopes saves twice in quick succession to deny Mendy.11'. Fekir's powerful free-kick is tipped over the bar by Subasic.29'. Ghezzal scores with a powerful shot to the near post. 0-137'. Diakhaby blocks Silva's close-range shot.40.' Mendy is sent off for lashing out.50'. Subasic saves a Ghezzal shot.56'. Subasic saves Lacazette's penalty kick.65'. Valbuena scores from Ghezzal's cross. 0-270'. Bakayoko scores from just near the penalty spot. 1-287'. Lacazette scores with a volley after a superb piece of control with his chest. 1-3.

. SUMMARY.

There was good deal of work to be done points-wise. And against Monaco, who have been unstoppable for weeks, the task seemed very daunting. Even more so after Gonalons' injury in the warm-up. The match began at a decent pace with both teams determinedly going for goal. Both Lopes, who pulled off a magnificent double save, and Subasic outdid themselves in denying attempts on their goals. But the Monaco 'keeper couldn't do anything about Ghezzal's shot, which duly rewarded Lyon's excellent first half-hour. Somewhat shaken, as they rarely have been recently, Monaco began to show signs of frustration, like when Mendy was sent off towards the end of a perfect first half for Lyon.

In a tight start to the second half, things started to go Lyon's way, with some good chances and then a penalty, which Lacazette saw saved by Subasic. Valbuena found an opening to score, but the two-goal advantage lasted only a few minutes, with Bakayoko reducing the gap. But Lyon then went on to break the suspense thanks to a superb piece of control from Lacazette in the last minutes of the game. Having put in a huge performance, OL not only made a decent gain towards a top three place - which is now only five points away - but they also put some distance between themselves and those below them on the table, several of whom dropped points this round. A great evening indeed.

. THE TURNING POINT .

Valbuena – Ghezzal, a duo starting to fire!

These two combined brilliantly last week for the only goal in the victory against Rennes, but Mathieu Valbuena and Rachid Ghezzal were at it again on Sunday when they took turns leading the way for OL. The former set up the latter at the edge of the area to open the scoring with a well-taken shot at the near post. Ghezzal's right-footed cross later found Mathieu Valbuena, who took up the offer to score his fourth goal in four games in Ligue 1.

. THE STAT .

4

Lyon have found the right formula away from home. In winning on Monaco's turf, they've now strung together four wins in the league. Bruno Genesio's men have returned with all three points from each of their three last trips: Toulouse, Lille and Nantes (the match in Metz being suspended). Before this good run, they had won only one of five away matches (three losses, one draw), a win that came on the first day of the season at Nancy.

Expert Eye

Jérémy Berthod:

We controlled the match. We witnessed a deep solidarity on the Lyon side. The team was cool-headed and ruled the day by going forward very quickly. They sewed self-doubt among the Monaco players. The game plan was respected. We also defended very well, especially on the flanks. This is a huge performance. We played the perfect game to dominate here. The win is fully deserved tonight. This could be the turning point in Lyon's season.